Importance of Baby Bottles for Young Moms

Every mother of a little baby will confirm it‘s a mere pleasure to nestle a baby in your arms and nurse or bottle feed him. To enjoy these moments without being afraid for your baby‘s health, it‘s crucial to make sure you are using a quality bottle. Good baby bottles are a pledge of peaceful feeding without collapsing nipples, air bubble or leaking. So, whether you are feeding your baby with a special formula or your own pumped breastmilk with a bottle, make sure the product is worth your trust.

When selecting a bottle for your dear baby, take into consideration his age. Newborns usually eat not more than one or two ounces per meal. It will definitely be wiser to pick up a small bottle for the few first months of your baby. Babies around six or seven months start eating more than that, meanwhile. They need from six to eight ounces of milk for one meal. Most mommies get some of each size, yet can obtain a bigger bottle and fill it with less liquid in the first several months. The choice of size is up to you just as the number of bottles to buy. So, only you can answer the question “how many baby bottles do I need”.

Now, let‘s get a closer look at baby bottles for breastfed babies and their construction to find out what types there are and how to choose them correctly. As a rule, baby bottles are composed of four parts. These include the bottle itself, the nipple, the collar designed for screwing the nipple into its place, and a cover for the nipple.

There are several types of baby bottles determined by the material used.

Plastic Bottles

Polypropylene or simply hard plastic baby bottles are very strong, inexpensive and lightweight. These along with the unbreakable property make them very popular in the whole world. Anyway, despite these few merits, there are also some disadvantages worth your attention. First, plastic bottles have a short lifespan and wear out quickly. Therefore, they can‘t be stored and reused for your future babies. Secondly, prior to 2012, manufacturers used a special chemical called BPA (bisphenol A) for enhancing the durability of the plastic.
In fact, BPA is harmful to babies. This means that if you have any baby bottles bought before FDA prohibited the use of BPA in baby goods, youd better throw it away right now!

Glass Bottles

As mentioned in perhaps every glass baby bottles review, the most important advantage of glass bottles is the long lifespan. These products can be cleaned and stored away for years! Besides, glass bottles can be successfully boiled for a deeper cleaning.

Anyway, like anything else, these products have certain cons, either. First, they are very heavy if we approach the matter from the glass vs plastic baby bottles point of view.

Besides, they can easily shatter the moment you drop them on the ground. But if you are very accurate with your baby‘s goods and are ready to pay much for a glass bottle (they are quite expensive), it‘s definitely worth it.

Stainless Steel Bottles

Stainless steel bottles have a series of advantages including incredible durability, scratch and dent resistance, impressive safety (they are thoroughly chemical free) and bacteria resistance, as well as effective temperature control. It is wrongly presumed that these bottles are usually too hot to hold. In fact, if the bottle appears too hot, it means the milk inside is the exact temperature.

Anyway, like other bottles described above, stainless steel ones have certain disadvantages, either. They are expensive (around $30 per bottle), much heavier as compared with plastic ones. For a baby to hold the stainless steel bottle firmly, you will need to get a neoprene or silicone sleeve. Besides, such bottles are not freezer friendly, as the expansion of the freezing milk inside the bottle will cause its deformation. And at last, the amount of the liquid inside a stainless steel bottle is not visible. Internal markings quite often solve the problem, though.

Disposable Bottles

Appeared on the market quite recently, plastic baby bottles with disposable liners will save much time on cleaning and sterilization. They are great especially for busy mothers, who have very little time and are not sure they can manage to clean the bottles properly. However, the disadvantages seem to overwhelm the pros here. First, they are much more expensive than plastic and even glass bottles. Sterilized disposable liners are sold separately at an additional cost. And the last, these liners are a great harm to the environment.

Interesting Facts about Baby Bottles

Even in around 2000 BC, people used to bottlefeed their babies. Archaeologists have found oblong clay vessels with spouts in a nipple shape that are supposed to be used as bottles.

During the Renaissance time period, people used cow horns with nipples made of leather for feeding their babies.

In the middle ages, they used to design turtle-shape silver bottles with screwed nipples. They also used silver wire for wrapping around the nipples not to let air pass into the bottle.

At the beginning of the 19th century, baby bottles were greatly enhanced. Banjo bottles appeared making bottle feeding easier. In the middle of the 20th century, sterile bottles came to substitute Banjo bottles.

Banjo bottles were also called “The Murderer” bottles. The narrow necks of these bottles didn’t make it possible to sterilize them well. As a result, 8 babies out of 10 didn’t live to see their second birthday.

How We Chose and Tested the Best Baby Bottles

To pick the best baby bottles from the immense range of variants offered on the market, ourresearch team contacted the most trusted pediatricians. They pointed out to such important points one should pay attention to when buying a baby bottle as the materials used (whether BPA safe or not), the shape of the nipples, the anti-colic venting feature, and the shape of the bottle itself as at the age of several months, babies start holding their bottles themselves. However, as our target audience is parents with little babies, we carried out a survey among them. They stated which bottles their babies liked the most, and shared their concerns and complaints with us.

After separating a series of Mam baby bottles and those by other remarkable brands including Philips Avent, Comotomo, Lifefactory, Munchkin, and others, we carried out several tests. Here are the aspects all the bottles were tested for:

Our Choice of Best Baby Bottles

The aim of all the tests carried out by experts, was to find out which are the best baby bottles 2017. And now, we are ready to present to your judgment reviews of seven most frequently ordered bottles of this year. We deeply believe you and your little one will love at least one of the reviewed bottles.

Comotomo Baby Bottle, Green, 8 Ounce, 2 Count

Switching from breastfeeding to bottle feeding usually takes time and efforts leaving different unused bottles behind. This, however, doesn‘t refer to Comotomo baby bottles. These are squeezable bottles with large nipples that resemble real breasts and help babies feel more comfortable like in their mom‘s embrace. These are totally new baby bottles made of safe hygienic soft silicone that feature anti-colic vents. Due to the wide necks of the bottles, they are so easy to clean by hand! Yet, you can safely use them in the dishwashers and sterilizers. Perhaps the only disadvantage young mothers noticed about Comotomo bottles is that it requires more time when you warm milk/formula in a milk warmer or a microwave. However, this shouldn‘t be an issue taking into account the series of advantages the product has!

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Dr. Brown‘s Original Bottle Newborn Feeding Set

Another brand known for manufacturing quality and innovative baby bottles is Dr. Brown. This particular set of top rated baby bottles by this brand includes five bottles in different sizes, two nipples in different types, as well as appropriate caps and cleaning brushes. The greatest advantage of these polypropylene products is the efficient patented venting system. Due to this system, your baby won‘t experience any spit-up, gases, burping or colic. The vacuum-free effect, meanwhile, helps to preserve all vitamins and nutrients of the milk/formula.
What parents complain about is the existence of too many parts to wash before and after each feeding. Some moms even claim that nearly all parts tend to leak while washing. And if you intend to pair breastfeeding with bottle feeding, it‘s worth to mention Dr. Brown baby bottles “pour” milk into babies‘ mouths. Getting used to this, they won‘t like to put any effort to suck and get milk from breasts.

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Playtex Baby Ventaire Anti Colic Baby Bottle, BPA Free – Gift Set

The set of Playtex baby bottles made of BPA-free plastic includes five wide bottles two out of which are 9oz and three – 6oz, extra caps, vent disks and nipples for both slow and fast flow. The unique angled structure of the box not only makes feeding easier when the baby holds the bottle himself but also prevents any ear infections. The VentAir system Playtex used in these bottles ensures your baby won‘t have to stand gases, spit-up, colic or any other discomfort.

Anyway, despite being some of the best-rated baby bottles, far not all customers are satisfied with the product. The bottoms of Playtex bottles usually pop off and they leak abnormally. This is a great issue, in fact, as parents have to throw them away.

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Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Fiesta Bottle, 9 Ounce, 6 Count

Convenient, quality and so colorful! This marvelous set of Tommie Tippee baby bottles is most moms‘ beloved one right for the bright appearance all bottles in the set have. Made of BPA-free and phthalate-free plastic, featuring a unique design for easy holding, smooth silicone nipples, and well-operating venting valves, the bottles are deservedly included in the top ten baby bottles of this year.

Anyway, despite all these advantages there are some features parents don‘t like about these bottles. Nipples tend to collapse during feeding, while measurement markings are easily rubbed off during the first couple of weeks. Additionally, when put in a dishwasher, they turn somewhat frosty while nipples shrivel.

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Philips Avent Anti-colic Baby Bottles Clear, 9oz 3 Piece

Avent baby bottles are definitely some of the most-widely used bottles nowadays. This set composed of three 9oz bottles is worth your attention. The manufacturer used BPA-free plastic for creating these bottles and included a unique nipple in the set, especially for newborns. Unlike many other bottles, these ones include only four parts and are very easy to clean with a special brush (the neck is not large). The greatest advantage of Philips baby bottles is the anti-colic valve designed to reduce any fussiness and gas.

What concerns the cons stated by parents, we need to mention the free flow of milk most newborns don‘t manage to cope with even with the Slow Flow nipple. Another concern about the bottles is the leaking property.

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Munchkin Latch BPA-Free Baby Bottle, 4 Ounce, 3 Pack

Made of BPA-free plastic, these Latch bottles deserve the place in our list of the best baby bottles 2017! The set comes with three bottles all in 4oz size, 3 sealing discs, and threenipples. Due to the anti-colic valve inserted in each bottle, babies don‘t experience gases and colic after being fed. What catches the eye in this baby bottle the most, is its pumping. When bottle feeding, a baby can control the milk flow just as he does when breastfeeding. By pushing against the base of the nipple, the baby gets more milk.

As far as you are interested in the minuses parents noted, the greatest disadvantage is the time needed for cleaning the bottle with the valve on the bottom. Yet, the active leaking is another problem most customers face.

Glass baby bottles have always been highly approved for their great durability and long lifespan. Lifefactory baby bottles are made of exceptionally quality glass that doesn‘t contain any harmful chemicals and never transfers any tastes. Glass is always a healthy choice! The glass bottle we have presented to your attention here features a silicone sleeve for extra durability (the bottle won‘t break when falling down) and a better non-slip gripping. Being among top baby bottles, this product is dishwasher and freezer safe, compatible with almost all breast pumps, is made of FDA-approved materials. Perhaps the only complaint some mothers have is that there are no ml markings.

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Baby Bottle Maintenance

A responsible parent knows well the importance of baby bottle maintenance. Only clear and sterile bottles can keep the pumped breastmilk or formula contaminant free. Now we are going to give you a couple of recommendations how to clean baby bottles.

Washing Baby Bottles

The first step of cleaning a baby bottle is washing it. All the parts of the bottle are to be washed accurately. Soak the nipple, cap, ring and the bottle itself into the water with some dish soap and vinegar. The latter will remove the unpleasant scent of leftover milk. Scrub every part separately paying special attention to the nipple. For a thorough cleaning, squeeze the soapy water through the nipple. To wash all angles of the smallest crevices, use a special bottlebrush. Now, when you know how to wash baby bottles efficiently, let‘s pass on the sterilization.

Sterilizing Baby Bottles

To keep your dear baby secure from different germs that may have stuck to the baby bottle, it‘s crucial to know how to sterilize baby bottles. This can be carried out either by steaming or boiling. Nowadays, there are also special sterilizing creams and solutions to wash, and at the same time, sterilize the bottles. Glass and boil-safe plastic bottles can be soaked in boiling water for fifteen minutes. To know exactly when to stop sterilizing baby bottles, set a timer for fifteen minutes. Steaming or sterilizing machines are another great method. Depending on the machine and the bottle material, the time for sterilization differs. All these means are effective and will ensure your baby‘s health.

Conclusions

The modern market is filled with multiple baby bottles differing in materials, sizes, shapes, and peculiarities. It will definitely take you more than one try to find the perfect bottle for your little darling. And still, we decided to facilitate this task for you and reviewed some of the truly best products sold. They are all different yet all serve one purpose – to make feeding your baby safe, comfortable and pleasant. Out of the seven models described, we separate one single model that meets all the criteria of a perfect baby bottle. And this model is Comotomo Baby Bottle, Green, 8 Ounce, 2 Count